“I already did. His time has already started.”
“All right, if he doesn’t pay, then we kill him.”
“Yup, I’ll pass that along.” Niccola started typing while I remained quiet waiting for the green light that one of my men had found Jacob.
“You okay, Elio?” Francesco leaned over.
I turned to look at him dead-on and waited a beat. “Never better.”
“Have you spoken to Sienna since you landed?”
“No.” I had a moment of clarity and wondered if I should reach out. I pulled my phone from the breast pocket of my suit jacket and sent her a quick text.
Elio: Are you at our place?
I stared at the screen and wondered if I should say anything else. Part of me wanted to call, but before I could think, another message popped up with a street address.
“It’s time.” I stood, buttoned my jacket, dropped a hundred on the table, and we headed out into the night. We handed our phones to one of my men who would attend a Broadway show tonight and made sure he would buy a few drinks on my credit card. We went over the plan one more time then loaded into another car that was waiting for us.
Niccola watched the mirrors while I played my part.
I moved into position outside his door, holding a bag and a soda cup which was full of gasoline. They had ordered food and were waiting for their order. I was only too pleased to deliver it.
“Knock, knock.” I used my best American accent and pounded low on the door. “Chinese delivery.”
“It’s about fucking time, son,” Jacob yelled than barked at one of his guys to answer the door. I heard a sound and knew Francesco and Vinni had done their part to take out his guys in the back. I knocked again loudly to draw Jacob to the door.
“Food delivery!”
“Shit, I’m comin’!”
Jacob swung open the door, and I tossed the gasoline in his eyes. He bent down and screamed as it burned his eyeballs and stung his skin.
“Ahh! What the hell?” he screamed and rammed into a table. For a guy with his money, he had a nasty-ass shoebox of a house. I stepped inside, closed the door, pulled out a handful of zip ties, and pushed him into a chair. I snapped the ties tight around his legs and wrists. “Who are you? I’m gonna kill you!” His eyes squeezed tight against the sting of the gasoline, and his head shook back and forth.
My mind was on one thing, blood. I didn’t say a word.
Vinni quickly cleared the other rooms and signaled to me the place was clear.
I hauled Jacob to his feet and pushed him out the back door into the waiting SUV.
“What the hell happened?” Vinni pointed to Niccola’s busted lip.
“The bitch chucked his gun at me.” He kicked the man in the back of the knee, making him fall to the ground so he could snap a tie around his wrists. “I mean, who throws a gun?”
“Toss him in,” Vinni said as he shoved the other man in the shoulder to make space for his friend. Jacob started to yell, so I sucker punched him in the gut.
I slammed the door closed, hopped in the back, and tapped Francesco on the shoulder to get moving.
Vinni kept a gun pointed at the men while I had my eyes peeled for the police. Unlike Italy, we couldn’t pay off the officers here. A few might look the other way for some cash, but chances were, we’d get a rookie trying to make a name for himself, and that would blow the whole situation to shit.
Finally, we pulled into the dockyard and parked behind the offices. Niccola had a buddy who had supplied us with IDs that gave us full access to the entire yard. He’d also set us up with the crane we’d need at the end.
Niccola and Vinni pulled the zip-tied men from the vehicle while more of my men arrived. Francesco and I hurried them along through the gates and over to where the propellor blades for a ship were being repaired and stopped at the griding wheel.
“Drop them here,” I ordered my cousins. “Remove the duct tape.” Niccola ripped the tape from their eyelids, and they both yelped in pain. Their eyes bugged trying to focus while I lit a joint and stared down at them. “Tell me about your involvement with Stefano Coppola.”
“We have no involvement—”